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Delta, American banning shipment of hunting ‘trophies’

Delta Air Lines had a major change of heart about shipping hunting trophies, announcing Monday afternoon that it would no longer accept lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies. Competitor American American Airlines also announced a similar move Monday on its official Twitter account but Spokesman Ross Feinstein said it’s largely symbolic because American Airlines does not serve Africa. The moves come after an American dentist killed a well-known lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe last month in an allegedly illegal hunt, setting off a worldwide uproar. The dentist, Walter James Palmer, lives in Minnesota, which is a major hub for Delta. As recently as May, Atlanta-based Delta had said that it would continue to allow such shipments — as long as they were legal. At the time, some international carriers prohibited such cargo. Delta has the most flights of any U.S. airline to Africa. Several foreign airlines announced similar bans last week.